Another level of transparency is created when a network serves as the exclusive third-party sales representative for a site's inventory. In this instance, a site may sell some portion of its inventory directly but will rely heavily on one network to fill the remaining inventory at as high a rate as possible. To the extent that a site will allow its name to be used transparently, it can earn more because the sales organization can disclose the name to advertisers who would place a value on having that site be part of the plan.

On the other hand, because the site maintains its own sales staff, it must work out how to manage any potential channel conflict with the network that is selling alongside them. This may include agreeing on a protected account list, territory restrictions or prohibiting endemic advertisers. Regardless, whether or not to disclose a third-party exclusive relationship is up to the publisher, but it is typically in the best interest of the publisher to allow their network partner to name the site.

Key take-away: 

• When a network serves as the exclusive third-party representative of a site, it is to the advantage of the publisher to allow transparency so the unique opportunities on the site can be presented to advertisers.